The Legend of Okami- The Dark Okami
by Naturefairy2014
Summary: We all know the story- the land of Nippon was saved by the great god Amaterasu, and later saved by her son Chibiterasu. But there is another part to the legend. This is the tale of the daughter of the sun: Akimeterasu, and her battle to protect the land of Nippon. Laughs, friends, betrayal, war, love, and unending darkness awaits the young wolf. This is the story of the dark Okami.
1. Prologue

The Legend of Okami

The Dark Okami

༄༄༄

Prologue

_A long time ago, in the land of Nippon- A sun-goddess ruled the land, and protected it. She was an Okami by the name of Amaterasu; she watched over the mortal realm, and kept it at peace. At least, until one fateful night- whenupon her home was attacked by the great eight-headed serpent Orochi. Amaterasu fought valiantly, but he was protected by a mysterious barrier she couldn't break, and she fell from the celestial plains- dragging the monster down with her. _

_For many long years Orochi reigned terror down on a tiny village known as Kamiki; until one day when Amaterasu faced the mighty serpent again; this time with the great hero Nagi by her side. They fought, and they won. But sadly, Amaterasu died after the fight- and turned to stone. There she lay for another one hundred years, in slumber._

_She was finally awakened when the world was once again in need of her protection. She traveled across the land with a poncle called Issun, and battled many enemies, including Orochi- who had been re-awaked-, Crimson Helm, Ninetails, Lekchu, Nekchu, and Yami- the Emperor of Eternal Darkness. _

_Amaterasu fought long and hard, and after a seemingly impossible battle in which she almost died- evil was vanquished from Nippon. Her powers restored to their fullest form, Amaterasu returned to the celestial plains at last, with an old friend. _

_However, peace didn't last long in the world of mortals, and mere months after her return, her son Chibiterasu was summoned to face the terrible Akuro -a remnant of Yami's power. With the help of his friends he defeated the enemy, and once and for all secured peace in Nippon. _

_Or so was thought..._

_There is more to this story than most people know, because few people know about Amaterasu's other child; Chibi's twin, the daughter of the sun. The red sun, the setting sun, Akimeterasu._

_But before I go any further, there is something you must know..._

_You see...That Okami- _

_is me. _

_I am Akimeterasu, and I've got a tale to tell. A tale of dragons and war. One of mortals and gods. A story of loyalty, love, friendship, and betrayal._

_One that you'll never forget. _

_The legend of the Dark Okami._

**(Author's Note- Hello everyone, and thanks for choosing my Okami fan-fiction to read! I know there are a bunch out there. I hope you like it! This work is my tribute to Okami, -my favorite game- as it was completely inspired by it, and I know this will never be on the same level as the game itself, but I shall try my best to write something worthy of it. **

**This was originally just written for my own enjoyment, but I've decided to share it with you, the internet. :) If you have any questions about the characters, or story later on, please don't be afraid to ask, and I'll do the best I can to answer them. Well...except questions in which the answer would be spoilers ;) I only as that you stick with it, the story starts out similar to Ammy's journey, but then splits off entirely. I really hope you enjoy TDO, the story of the Dark Okami. Anyway- Onward, to the first chapter! ****༄****)**


	2. Chapter 1- The Time Has Come

CHAPTER ONE

The Time Has Come

My eyes opened with a flash of golden light.

'_At last the time has come. At last I am ready!'_ I thought to myself excitedly. '_After all this time- this is it!'_ I was standing in the shade of a sacred cherry tree, in my home: the Celestial Plains. I took a deep breath, the wonderful scent of cherry blossoms filling my nose as pale pink petals fell around me. '_Mother's trained me for fifteen years, -my entire life- for this single day. For me to be able to face the world on my own.' _My mind flew back to my days of training, days and days of work and practice. She taught me- how to fight, and how to use all the brush techniques in strategy and art. I'd been waiting for this moment...truly ever since I was a pup, but since then I've improved in body, skill, mind, and power- So I suppose it was well worth the wait.

I looked at the cherry blossoms falling around me, then to the great mountain that sprouted from the middle of the island- so high up that it must scrape the sun as it passes overhead. This was where I grew up, where all my friends and family are. The Celestial Plains are lands of such great beauty and peace,why would I ever want to leave? Well, I'd always wanted to go on a great journey, like both my brother and mother have already. They inspired me with tales of adventure, and ever since I was told these stories, I was constantly waiting for this moment to arrive. And now- it's finally here.

I got to my feet, snow-white pelt gleaming in the sunlight; crimson markings glistening. My markings differ from Chibi's and mother's, mine are darker, and more numerous than theirs and very bright. That's why my mother named me Akimeterasu, which means 'bright' and 'red'. The three spiral markings on my sides grow smaller as they go farther down my back, and seem protected by a shield of red before them on my shoulder. Flame markings course over my sides and chest and even up my neck. The markings on my forelegs seem to have been painted, and dripped down from the spirals on the fronts of my shoulders and right down my legs, and I have another pair of matching red spirals on each hip. My eye-markings go along the top of my eye and the bottom, and are connected so they make a neat curve. The red circle on my head encloses a single spiral, starting on the right, and curling around the center; with a flicker of a flame-marking on the left side.

I looked again a final time at the plains around me, and started to run. Flowers springing up from every pawstep as it touched the ground. Divine wind swirled around me as I ran, brushing me with a warm breeze and whispering- wishing me a well journey. Kazegami, god of wind was saying a final goodbye from the brushgods. We were close, -I had mastered his technique well- and his son was one of my closest friends. My heart clenched as I remembered the feast mother had held in honor of me leaving the plains the night before. All the gods had gathered together in my mother's home, and for one last time we could all join together, gorge ourselves on offerings, tell jokes and laugh the night away, one last time before I left on my journey. '_I'll miss them all very much, but this is something I have to do. I feel it in my heart.'_

I raced the wind, dashing through the fields of green grass. Daffodils, hyacinths and other flowers growing from wherever my foot fell with each step. The sky was the clearest blue that day, the grass the freshest and deepest green, the weather was most pleasant. But I couldn't enjoy it, my hunger for adventure was gnawing at me- as it had been for the past decade. I knew I would return to the plains someday, and everything would be exactly as it is now. Maybe the trees would be a little taller, but that is all. Nothing ever changes here.

Eventually the wind died down and it flew off in another direction- the horse god had work to do. I was drawing closer to the edge of the plains, then suddenly out of the corner of my eye, I saw a lone figure perched on a hill. Then I saw a white flash as the figure leaped down and start to follow me. Gaining on me- until they matched my speed and was running alongside me. _"You don't have to do this yet."_ I heard her voice, my mother. _"Waka and I can figure something out, you can sta-"_

"You know that can't happen." I broke in, stretching out, covering more ground with every leap. _"No, you're too much like me to delay this adventure for another day."_ She said with a laugh in her bark, and kept pace with me as we made a slight turn, so we were parallel to the edge of the plains. Side by side with one another, it reminded me of so many times when we would race together across the plains to pass the time. _"I raised you to be brave, and now I think it's turning against me."_ My mother barked, and I glanced at her to give her a teasing smile, she gave me a small smile in return and said:_ "I just want you to be cautious, we have no idea how bad it could be down there. And once you get there, everything becomes real, not just a bed-time story Akime. Monsters, demons, traitors...The danger becomes very real."_ She said. I turned to look at her again, and she looked more serious than perhaps I'd ever seen her- the wolf that in her own time, leapt forward into danger without a second thought- it scared me, but I shook it off. "Come on mother," I said, smiling; teasing her. "Leap before you think right?"

She gave me a true smile. _"Leap before you think."_ She agreed, although I knew inside she was still worried. I turned back to look where I was running, then after a few seconds, I said: "Mother...Thank you. For all you've ever done for me. You've taught me so much." We were racing across the landscape, my was heart pounding in my chest. "Don't be sad, you know that this is what I've wanted ever since I could walk. And you know I will not fail, I will return to see you and everyone again. Please-" I turned to look at her again. "-don't worry about me, everything will be fine. You'll see." I said, consoling her. "I promise." She nodded, and that was all I needed. I was drawing ever closer to the looming void, Amaterasu slowed down so that she went out of my line of sight. _"Goodbye Akime!" _I heard her howl behind me, and I howled so that she could hear as I rushed ahead. "Goodbye, mother!" Then I put on extra speed, my paws drumming against the ground. Nervous energy hummed through my body as I raced across the surface of the plains, drawing closer to my goal. We'd talked about how I would depart the plains many times over, whether I should take the ark- but I turned it down. I wanted a fast descent to the mortal world, that wouldn't draw too much attention.

'_Leap_

I was springing across the grass, -covering almost ten feet a stride- tall grass exploding behind me. _'What will come next? What will I see down there?' _I thought excitedly.

_before_

My eyes widened as my paws suddenly reached the edge, clinging to the ground.

_you_

Excitement pulsing through every vein in my body, I looked out into open space.

_think.'_

I launched myself off the edge of the plains, paws stretching out into nothingness. It was an exhilarating feeling, and it felt almost like flying. Soaring through the air effortlessly, just floating ahead- the sun on my back, the cool air covering me, lifting me up-

And then I was falling, plummeting through clouds. Wind pressed against my body as I sunk below the plains, gaining speed. I twisted my body around, and watched as my home vanished from sight with a flash of swirling white mist.

_'And so, my journey begins...'_

**(AN- This chapter is mostly Akime being anxious and reminiscing. Well, she's leaving the only place she's ever known for the first time. Nothing really happens in this chapter, but it will get way more exciting- I promise! ^.^ [****_Jumping_**** off the plains Akime, really? Little over-dramatic. XD] To the next chaptaa!)**


	3. Chapter 2- Mr Orange Appears

CHAPTER TWO

Mr. Orange Appears

I was falling, breaking through cloud. Wind whipped around my ears, and I twisted around again to face the oncoming earth. My body screamed towards the ground- towards the earth at top speed. A dirt path was coming at me at an alarming rate. My heart beat in my ears, and at the last second before I would have slammed into the ground: I did a holy eagle, propelling myself up a little bit and coming down much softer than if I hadn't. My paws still touched the ground with a hard thump, but I let out a breath of relief. '_Ah, everything's so far according to plan...Now I just need to make sure I'm where I'm supposed to be.'_ I opened my eyes, and saw I was in a large field with an expanse of grass before me and a red torii behind me. As I walked forward I saw where the moon cave used to be down the cliff, and a dojo to my left. I was sure now- I had landed in Shinshu Field. I picked up my pace to a trot and started my way downhill. I crossed a bridge above a stream leading into the lake, and I saw eagles soaring overhead- or were they hawks? I couldn't tell from this distance.

The trail turned off to the left and I followed it, crossing another bridge past a few buildings. Then I saw a tree covered in pink flowers stationed in the middle of the field, and ran up to the great guardian sapling. _'It doesn't look like a sapling to me.' _I thought to myself as I stared up at the branches- It was twice as big as the one in the celestial plains. I turned around, and took in the whole area. The field seemed to be in pretty good shape, and as I looked around the area, peering above the hills, I saw an absolutely GIGANTIC tree. '_Konahana!'_ My tail wagged: I had to get a closer look! I started running, tail flying behind me like a ink-strewn flag. But as I made my way along the path, a strange feeling came over me. Like there was a chill in the air, but it couldn't be...It's summer here...

I stopped, ears flicking. I heard something above me, It was a whispering- carried by the wind it seemed...Something wasn't right. I looked up. There, above my head, perched on a cleft of the cliff-face: three green imps looked down at me. I recognized them from the bestiary and my mother's descriptions. Covered in green, bumpy skin, they resembled over-large monkeys. They wore ragged clothes, carried long wooden flute-weapons, and paper masks with a red symbol on them. As soon as they realized that I'd seen them, they all jumped down from their perch, and a fiery fighting ring appeared around us. I sank into a fighting stance, _'Now, I get to test my skills in real battle!'_ I thought to myself. No more dummies, no more mock-fights, these were real demons, and I was ready.

I had a reflector on my back, one of the matching two my mother had given to my brother and I as pups. I'd named it 'Divine Insurgence'. I lunged at the first imp, the reflector slicing into it and taking away some of its demonic energy as it stumbled backwards. It recovered quickly, and raised its hand -ready to slam me into the ground- but I danced away from its blow. I slashed at it again with my weapon, flames swirling around the disk. Empowered with gold dust, two well-placed strikes were enough to get rid of the imp, and it fell to the ground. As it turned into flowers I had to dodge an attack from its comrade, who tried to attack me from behind. I snarled as it tried to hit me again, then I gave it a good whack with my reflector full-on, and sliced it in half with a well-aimed power-slash.

As I turned to the third one, it attacked. I side-stepped its flute attack and smashed the wood into pieces with my weapon. Then I slammed the imp with my reflector twice, sending it to the ground. It burst into flowers, and left some yen behind.

I dashed through the evaporating barrier, still determined to see the legendary village. I ran towards a cleft in the hills, passed through a gate, bloomed all the withered trees and charged into the village. And although I had faced my first monsters, I really had no idea yet- what sort of adventure I had started.

The sweet smell of cherry blossoms in full bloom greeted my nose and I took a deep breath. A fat merchant sat to my right, his hair was gray and his face was wrinkled, and though he had no customers- he looked happy just to be sitting outside and enjoying the flowers. For a moment I considered stopping and buying something, but then I shook my head and walked into the village. Immediately to my right, I saw the house of Susano, 'the Great Worrier'. I chuckled as I looked at the old sign outside his house with the worn-out, or possibly vandalized word. _'Get a move on!'_ I thought to myself, '_Don't forget what you came here for! Do you want to see Konohana up close or not?' _ I crossed a red bridge into the crowded part of Kamiki, I saw a young man whistling for his dog, and a skinny gray dog gnawing a bone beneath a house- otherwise the village was peaceful and empty. The trees here were in fine condition, -unlike the ones outside, withered by demonic presences- and I sneezed as a petal landed on my nose. I walked up the stone steps, then took the trail to the left. I looked out across the water to my left, vast and blue- with an island near the shore. Within moments I came upon the great sacred tree; it was at least a hundred feet tall. I passed under the gate and everything suddenly took on a strange green tint, all except the tree. Clouds graced the tree's branches, and every single flower was in bloom on the magnificent tree. I was in awe, but as my gaze traveled down the trunk, I saw a little bouncing dot standing on a basket- and it seemed to be talking to the tree.

"Come on out Sakuya! Take a look at my newest masterpiece!" The poncle bounced up and down, yelling at the tree; he was glowing red with rage. "I know you can hear me! Come out!"

"Issun?" I asked tentatively, padding closer. My heart lifted in hope, Issun had visited the Celestial Plains when I was a pup- I hadn't seen him in years, and it would be nice to see him again. "What?" The poncle exclaimed, turning around. "I'm not Issun!" He said indigently, starting to glow an even brighter red. "I'm-" But he suddenly cut off, because behind him the trunk of the tree started to glow. A young woman appeared from within the tree, she had long jet-black hair and a pink bikini on.

"Such a pristine and beautiful white coat!" She said. "That divine instrument on your back and crimson markings decorating your body can only mean one thing: you are a god of the heavens!" I nodded. "I presume you are a child of the benevolent Amaterasu?" She asked. Before I could respond, the little -now orange/brown- poncle cut in. "What?!" The poncle exclaimed. "This furball here is a god? Ha!" He laughed. I flattened my ears and growled quietly. "Her? Come on Sakuya, she's just a normal run-of-the-mill wolf! Haha, a god- I didn't know you made jokes." I thrashed my tail in agitation and summoned a sudden wind to blow him over- and that it did. "Oowf!" The poncle said as he fell head-over-heels backwards off the peach basket as it tipped over. He rubbed his head in the area beneath his beetle-hat and looked around in surprise. "Where'd that come from?" He said from between spilled peaches and I glared at him. He met my gaze and said, shocked: "Wait...Was that you? Are you, really...a...?"

I nodded. "Yes, I am." I said sharply, and while the poncle was momentarily speechless I looked back at Sakuya- who was beginning to look impatient. She continued, barely missing a step in her speech: "Long has it been since I have gazed upon a god, a decade at least. I am honored by your divine presence." She did a small bow in the air.

"Aw don't brown-nose, Sakuya! It doesn't become you!" The poncle said, looking upset that he'd been pushed aside by the tree-sprite, even though he'd been there first. Not paying him any attention, the wood spirit carried on: "I'm glad you are here, oh powerful goddess, what name may I call you?"

"My name is Akimeterasu." I said, sitting down. She raised her bare arms. "A great evil has begun to stir, demons become more courageous and dare roam the village at night. People are disappearing and rivers drying, please- help us!"

"Gladly!" I said, wagging my tail. Sakuya looked a bit surprised at my abrupt and informal speech. "That's why I came here, after all!" I smiled and wagged my tail. "Oh- splendid." The wood sprite said somewhat lamely, but quickly regained her regal stance. "Now that you're both done..." The poncle said, crossing his arms. "I'll show you my new work, -Sakuya- whether you want me to or not!" He pulled out a full-size piece of paper from his pouch and unrolled it. I wondered how it managed to fit in there, but I walked forward to see the drawing nonetheless- and I was stunned.

"Pretty good right?" The poncle said with pride. "It took me two weeks to finish this one, but it turned out well, if I do say so myself!"

"It certainly did" I added. It was a painting of the whole of Shinshu field. You could almost feel the wind, nearly smell the blossoms from the guardian sapling. "Wow, this is really amazing!" I said. "Like I said." The poncle said, waving his hands like a bow at my praise. "Now, I'll just put this back before you drool on it." And he whipped it away. I frowned, he was obviously very prickly- much like I remember Issun had been. "By the way wolf...god, person, I'm Hiraku, student of the talented celestial envoy Issun, I'm sure you've heard of him?" I nodded, then lifted my paw and put a claw in his tiny outstretched hand. "Yes, I met Issun when he visited the plains. My name is Akimeterasu, daughter of the sun goddess Amaterasu. It's-" A small cough drew our attention, Sakuya looked at us impatiently. "Akimeterasu, since you have so graciously accepted to help me protect the land of Nippon, I'm sure Hiraku could show you around the village if you wished,-."

"Oh, okay. Follow me furball!" He said, speaking before she could finish. "...But first we clean up these fruit." Then gestured to the scattered fruit. I helped him clean up, rolling the peaches back with my nose. Sakuya bade us farewell, and then disappeared back into the trunk of the great tree. "Aww, I was hoping to spend more time with her." Hiraku said disappointedly. "You know how your mother met my mentor right?" The little poncle said with a sly grin, and I rolled my eyes. "Yes." He laughed at my un-amused response. And though he did seem a little sharp-tongued...and a little bit a pervert like Issun, but I couldn't help but smile. He seemed like he could be a fun companion.

When we were done, I picked the full basket up in my jaws. Then he bounced along besides me as we went down the path away from Konahana, "So, Akimeterasu...I think we might have started off on the wrong foot, let's start this over. I'm Hiraku. Extremely handsome, talented, vigilante warrior and wandering artist." He professed, then looked to me expectantly. "I'm Akime." I said, dipping my head. "Professional goddess, trained master of a deadly paintbrush, and a very modest wolf."

"Oh yes, I can tell." Hiraku said. "I was wondering: whether or not your powers are limited to blowing over poncles. If not- what is their extent?" Hiraku asked, rather nonchalantly. "Well...I'm not quite as powerful as my mother, but if there's ever an annoying flea you need to do a summersault off a basket, or any shelves repaired, or powerful demons fumigated- I'm your goddess." I said with a mischievous grin.

"Relaxed with your powers, I see. Not like some uptight deities I know." He replied, I could hear a smile playing on his lips. "I think I'm going to like you."

"Yes, well, as long as you keep perverted jokes to a minimum, I think we'll get along fine." I say, only half-joking. "You misjudge me, Akime." He says in mock-hurt. "I can be a gentleman if I want to. But you're stuck with me anyway until I finish showing you around! Ha!" He said evilly and I snorted. "...Which I should probably be getting to right about now-" He cleared his throat and said importantly: "As you know, _this_ is Kamiki Village-" Bouncing from the ground onto my nose, he gestured around- his tiny arms spread wide. "A peaceful, seemingly ordinary hamlet with a disturbing past of virgin-centered violence. Also featuring this house, that house, that house with the orange on top, and that house. Not to mention a rice farm and the laziest ex-warrior to ever roam the land."

"Right." I said, dipping my head slightly and trotting forward into the village with him bouncing on my nose. I found that though my eyes were focused on him, I could dodge trees and houses and things out of the corner of my eyes, but suddenly- "Oomph!" I collided with someone who was in my poncle-blindspot; it was a middle-aged woman with slightly graying short hair that resembled a comb. "What was that?" She exclaimed, straightening up. "Geez, do you need glasses furball?" Hiraku muttered grumpily, and stood up, since he'd been knocked down by the collision. "Oh! Hello wolfie!" she said, bending down to pet me, as I sat -dazed- among the yet again scattered peaches. I found out I liked being pet, and lifted my leg to scratch an non-existent itch. "You remind me of that god-wolf that visited us years ago." she said, backing away for a second. "I remember there was a pup too, are you that pup I wonder? All grown up!"

"Nope, that was my brother!" I barked cheerfully, but she didn't seem to understand. "I'll bet you are! You sure have grown!" I shook my head, looking at the poncle for guidance. "They can't understand wolf, Akime." he said, looking down at me. "Fortunately, I can translate. Hey-" he suddenly said. "Oh, a poncle too!" she said, jumping back. "Is that you Hiraku?" "You betcha, sweetie!" Said the orange-brown poncle. "Sorry, I haven't been introduced to your wolf friend have I?" she said. "My name is Kushi, sake-brewer and wife of the great warrior Susano!" she did a small bow. "Well you already know me- but this here's Akime, she's new to this region. She's ah, related to that wolf-god that came here some years back." "Really? She's related to Snowy-I mean- Amaterasu?" The sake-brewer said, with surprise in her voice. "Here, take this, I've been meaning to sell this, but haven't had the time. It's an honor to meet a relative of Snowy, so I really hope you enjoy it!" and she pulled something out of her pouch, it was some sake. I put it away in my travel pouch and barked a thanks to her, '_She's really nice!'_ I thought.

"Goodbye Akime!" She called as I walked away. "and Hiraku!" Hiraku stayed quiet, and didn't answer back- no doubt angry at being mentioned second again. I walked over the red-brown wooden bridge, and heard screeches, and looked up. Two giant birds circled the sun above, then dove down over the lake and one pulled out a fish- making water splash around it like liquid wings. Then it rose again into the sky, and took off back to the cliffs to eat its quarry.

Some white rabbits huddled in the tall green grass in the path leading out of the village, surrounded by flowers. People talked nearby, laughing and in high spirits. '_Kamiki sure is alive this time of year! And for all the demonic disturbance happening lately, Sakuya's done a good job protecting it.' _I thought to myself.

I trotted along the path headed out of the village when Hiraku stopped me. "Hold up furball, I need to sell these peaches! THEN we can go, ok?" He said, I shrugged, then walked up to the old smiling merchant along the cliff. We sold most of the basket, but Hiraku saved one for himself, and one for me. They were delicious, huge, tasty and a perfect orange-pink mix. While we ate the juicy, sticky peaches, conversation began again. "So..." Hiraku said, wiping away some juice with his sleeve.

"That sake brewer, Kushi, said that a pup visited the village a few years ago that looked like you, do you know who it was?" He said, taking another bite. "Yes," I licked my lips. "My brother: Chibiterasu. He actually helped inspire me to come down here, to use my powers for the well-being and protection of Nippon." I wiped my muzzle again. "I heard my mother talking about her adventures over and over again on the plains, but they were only stories to me- they all happened before I was alive. But when my brother came back, retelling his adventures with such great detail, that was the final strike that burst my lust for adventure into a flame." I swatted away my peach core with one paw. "So he's your inspiration huh? He must be a really good story teller to get you to want to come down here. With monsters, thieves, and a wide variety of jerks roaming free." He said, leaning back on his hands. "I suppose so." I said. "Are you done?" I asked him. "Yeah." he said, rolling the peach away. "Well, here's your chance for adventure Akime!" he said, springing onto my head. "Adventure, fame, glory...That sounds pretty good actually...Mind if I come along? You'll need someone who knows the land like I do!"

"Well, um, sure! Why not?" I said, looking back at the poncle, and he bounced up my leg and onto my head. '_It seems like I can trust him,'_ I thought to myself as I padded along the road and into the entrance of Shinshu field, the sun was just starting to approach the horizon in the distance. '_If he's really a student of Issun's, I should be fine...I just hope I can.'_

**(Ah, don't you remember in Okami how it took FOREVER for Sakuya to stop praising you? I think those parts were the most boring ones in the game. And so Hiraku enters the storyline. He's not a _complete _replacement for Issun, he'll come into the story later- and their personalities ARE different, slightly. Issun was his idol growing up though, that's why he became an artist. The actual adventure still has yet to commence D: but we're getting to it, hang in there! :D)**


	4. Chapter 3- Agata Forest

CHAPTAH TREE

Shinshu Field

I sat down and yawned, it was getting rather late in the day, and the sun was starting to touch the horizon in the west. I was outside a building Hiraku had introduced to me as 'The Dojo'. I looked it over. The old structure was slightly decayed, and some paint had faded away, but it still gave off a dignified look. "Come on, let's go in!" Hiraku pushed on the door so it would slide open. "Wait up for a second!" I barked. We'd been running around Shinshu all day, and I needed a moment to rest my paws. I stretched, walked up to the door, and opened it with a sweep of a gale-mark. "Who's there?" a voice came from inside, it was very dark within the old building. As light started to fill the place, I saw a sitting figure next to a flickering candle. "I'm sorry, not open today- come back later."

The figure turned out to be an old man, and he closed his eyes again, his hands were on his legs in a meditative position. Then his eyes opened again. "Wait... you...Come closer so I can get a good look at you!" He said, and I came slightly nearer, wary- anything could be in the shadows. "Oh, a wolf has come down from the mountains to play." The man said, using his cane to get to his feet. He was so bent over his back was almost completely parallel to the ground. He had an impressively large chin, squinting eyes and a mustache. His voice was very soft and almost cracked every time he spoke. "I don't receive many visitors these days, because of those demons stopping people from coming through the forest. How nice to have some company!" and he patted me behind the ears. '_Wow, all these people are so nice! Hiraku must be some kind of freak anomaly.' _I thought to myself. _'I'm surprised he has need to defend himself- what sort of being, even a demon, would attack an innocent old man like him anyway?'_ "I'm Onigiri Sensei, master of this Dojo," He said, and the name sounded slightly familiar. "You look like a very nimble wolf, a speedy fighter. I've taught a couple canines in my time. Everyone, even the woodland creatures needs good protection from monsters! Especially with what's been supposedly lurking in the forest. There seems to be so many monsters these days...You know, I might even be able to teach you something! But I'll let you know, I don't teach for free..."

Nonetheless, he showed us a scroll that had different fighting techniques written down on it. I looked down the scroll of moves, most were crossed off. They were either already known to me, or the equipment to teach those moves were broken. "So, what about me?" Hiraku said, standing on my head and facing the old man, who gave him a squinting stare. "Oh, no. I've seen you bouncing around the field with your sword, and first you need to learn respect. Then, you need to replace those weapons racks you broke scaring my pigs- before I teach you anything." The poncle crossed his arms and glared at Sensei, but then one move caught my eye: 'The Death Spiral'. It was within my price range, and looked interesting. I put my paw on it and wagged my tail. "Are you sure wolf?" The old man asked me, and I nodded my head. "I suppose I have no choice..." He said sighing, and creaking to an upright stance. "Aah, OOOH!..." Suddenly his head began to spin around and around, until it was _upsidedown_! I suddenly realized his large chin was a forehead, and his beard was really hair growing on the top of his head!

"EIAAH!" He shouted, in a much firmer tone, waving his -thought to be cane but it was really a beating stick- through the air. **"Are you mentally prepared to handle the ultimate challenge? Step inside to test your might!"** He shouted in a well-practiced tone. Hiraku and I shared a creeped-out look, and he whispered: "Good luck, furball!" Then I silently walked past the strange martial-arts teacher and through the doors.

We were in a large room, on a yellow platform surrounded by bamboo and rocks.

Onigiri Sensei paced in front of me, and I snapped back to attention. He was studying me, so I stood even straighter- rigid. Hiraku was watching from the sidelines, sitting down and eying what was going on keenly. "Today I am going to teach you the Death Spiral, read this technique scroll to learn how to use it." He handed me the scroll, and it read- 'The death spiral, use the fighting barrier (or any firm nearby object) to your advantage! Jump off the wall to charge forward and knock your opponent over.' _'Sounds easy enough,'_ I thought, and pushed the paper aside. "I've never taught this technique to a wolf before, but it shouldn't be too different. Now-" He pointed his beating stick at a dummy. "Since I don't have a real barrier we're going to have to make do with this one." And a bamboo wall sprung out of the ground behind me. "Begin!" He smacked his cane against the ground with a resounding crack. _'Right,'_ I thought to myself. _'Spring off the wall...'_

I put one paw back, getting into a balanced fighting stance. Then I growled and whipped around to face the wall and leaping; landing me squarely on it. In one swift moment, I pushed with my back paws so I sprang off the wall. I sped through the air, my paws circling around eachother in a spiral- the rest of my body followed so I was spinning at top speed. I focused on the target and...Whack! I knocked it over with the force of my impact. I stood on its chest, blood was thrumming through my head from the fast attack. I turned around and the parts of the dummy still standing, fell apart slowly. "Hmm..You have trained well wolf." Sensei said, still in his 'fighting mode'. "I wish I could teach you more, but my other technique scrolls are in my other dojos."

"Well, why don't you just go fetch them sometime?" Hiraku asked from the sidelines.

"I would," he said, slowly sinking back into his gentler state- it was still really creepy to watch. "But when news that a god trained in my dojos spread, I had more people wanting to learn martial arts from me than I knew what to do with. Eventually, it attracted demons. I started doing open sparring every night, and one snuck in. It won the all the sparring matches, and when I was away- it took control of said dojo. And now it's a house for demons." He sighed, putting all his weight on the cane. "Then the same thing happened to my other one a few weeks later, now all that's left is this one."

"Why don't you fight off the imps then?" Hiraku asked.

"Because they'd recognize me, I can't get within a hundred feet of the place without being swarmed by demons, it's too much even for a master like me." He sighed, now back in his kindly-old-man state. "Well," Hiraku said and he stopped bouncing. "How about we drive those monsters out for you?" he drew his needle-sized sword.

"That would be very kind of you," Sensei said, bowing as low as he could while still leaning his cane. "but do not underestimate the bosses of the dojos. They are master fighters."

"No problem-o" Hiraku said, "I'm sure Akime here can handle it." I looked at him, and raised my eyebrows. "You remind me of that god who trained here," The old man said. "They were also a white wolf like you."

Before either Hiraku or I could respond to say I was: 'her daughter actually', he suddenly looked out the window and froze, then said hurriedly "Time for you two to be going!" and shooed us out. The door slammed firmly closed behind us. "What was that about?" Hiraku asked as the sun sank below the horizon and darkness set in the field. "Is he afraid the demons will attack him at night, or something? Well, I wouldn't be surprised, what with his other two Dojos being taken over. But no time to wonder about that," He said. "We have a quest Akime, we'd better look out for dojos on our travels!"

"Yeah, but we can't stray from our main goal." I said. "Which is what exactly?" Hiraku asked. "Well, to rid Nippon from all evil of course. I'm curious to see what Sensei was talking about, with monsters in Agata forest, I think we should start there."

"You're a high-achiever, no doubt about that Akime." Hiraku laughed, and I grinned, then I yawned. It was late, and all the running I'd done that day had tired me out- I was ready for bed. I wandered over to the edge of the water tunnel, then walked between two trees nearby. A couple of wild boars were sleeping there, so I put out some seed feed-bags I'd picked up down by them- so they wouldn't attack us while we were sleeping. I turned in circles a few times and Hiraku jumped off my nose. He grabbed a leaf off one of the trees and fashioned a pillow out of it by folding it upon itself and cutting it neatly with his blade; then he grabbed another and made a tiny blanket. He laid down and wrapped himself up in it. "Goodnight Akime." He said. "Good night, Hiraku." I said in return.

He fell asleep quickly, I could hear his tiny snores within seconds. I watched the small poncle's chest rise and fall, his hat askew. It gave me a chance to truly study his tiny features, and reflect on his personality. Often times, I mirror others' behavior without knowing or trying. I looked closely at the little poncle: His face was young, 20 years at most. His orange leafy hat had small branches on them, probably to imitate a beetle. He wore a orange-brown tunic, the color of leaves in fall. And brown-black short hair...My eyelids drooped, suddenly I yawned. As far as I knew, he seemed like a good soul, -a little rough around the edges- but he seemed to have a good heart. Sleep suddenly overpowering me, I curled up, tail-over nose and slept.

When morning finally reached Shinshu fields, the whole area was graced with a soft yellow-pink light. The light reflecting off the lake woke me as it shined into my eyes. I blinked slowly awake and stretched out my front legs. I wasn't used to sleeping on grass, but it wasn't the worst night's sleep I've ever had. Beside me, Hiraku was just waking up as well- his tiny snores breaking off mid-breath. He sat up, leaf blanket falling away. "Ah, what time is it?" I shrugged, I had no idea, but it was impossible to keep sleeping because of the bright light off the lake. "Too early." I replied, and he snorted. "Yeah, you got that right." He stretched his tiny arms above his head and then got to his feet. "Well, where to?"

"I think we agreed to go farther south, to the forest. So we could investigate what's happening, just in case." I said, looking to the canal, which I assumed lead to Agata forest. "Ok then." The poncle said, and bounced onto my head as I got up. I padded over to the dock, where the ferry used to be. I see a small boat tied to a pole, but we had no need for that. I felt Hiraku grab my fur tightly as I leapt down towards the water. But before I touched the surface, I whipped my tail in a circle and my paws landed on a lily pad. A frog leaped off, croaking in fright, and I sat down. Using the brush again, I summoned a strong wind to blow us across the water. We glided smoothly across the surface of the water, my ears buffeted by the gale, -my fur messy- but I didn't care. We passed through the tunnel in the face of the cliff on the other side rather quickly, and soon came to a halt when the lilypad bumped into the rock wall. I bunched my legs and leaped up, landing on all four paws.

"I thought they'd fix this passage sometime." I murmured aloud, remembering that in my mother's stories the tunnel had been in the same condition. "They've been working on it." Hiraku said. "You'll see on the Agata forest side." I walked into the earthy tunnel, the other side was just visible- a small blue-white dot. I picked up my pace to a trot, and I saw it was wider on the other end. I broke out of the darkness, and back into the light. My eyes adjusted back quickly, and I saw Hiraku was right. People obviously had been trying to get the ferry back into business- with wood piled nearby, shovels and a shallow pool of water where the boat was meant to dock on the other side, but apparently work was going very slow.

The forest was calm and quiet, with almost an eery feel. Since the passage ends on a high point, we got a good view of the forest. Mist gathered in the high branches of gigantic trees, and yellow-white light filtered through the leaves. I walked down the steep trail, claws digging into the ground. The path was slightly overgrown, with vines and branches seeming to reach out into the way, not wanting to stay confined. I had to duck under a mess of twisted and knotted branches. As I padded through the forest, I noticed it was very quiet. There were a few birds singing, but all and all- it was very peaceful. The rushing of a waterfall could be heard from a distance. The green forest was just barely waking up, and the serene beauty of it was captivating. Nothing seemed immediately wrong. Hiraku stretched and laid back from his perch on my head. There didn't seem to be any trouble, but my ears kept flicking in every direction in search of danger anyway. Better safe than sorry.

Ducking under more brambles I made my way along the path, deeper and deeper into the forest. It was slightly...Eerier...than I had thought it should be, and no one seemed to be out; not even any deer. I trotted down another incline, scenting for any signs of life, and a fighting barrier rose around me. I growled, mostly in annoyance. Three creatures appeared before me, two imps, -one green, one red- and a Bud Ogre. The Red Imp isn't much different than it's cousin, other than it has a different color and carries a guitar instead of a flute- it's not very dangerous. The Bud Ogre on the other hand: with its agile paws, long mace tail, and impenetrable giant pink bloom on its back- is much more of a threat.

I heard the clink of metal as Hiraku drew his sword. The imps spread out behind the bud ogre and I lunged forward. The brown imp dodged backward, evading my attack. The gigantic bud ogre paced in front of me, it's long claws leaving shallow scores in the ground. When I came within distance it swung its mace-like tail, and this time it was my turn to dodge. _'I have to weaken it enough so that I can open its bud.'_ I thought to myself, as the red-faced demon prowled before me. The green imp on my left suddenly came forward and tried to hit me, I ducked back and growled. I was close to the edge of the fighting barrier, and so I jumped up on the wall, and leaped -spinning- toward the green imp. I heard it squawk as I hit it, and it fell to the ground- exploding into a bunch of flowers. _'Well, that was effective!'_ I thought to myself again, -very pleased- and spun to lash at the red imp. It tried to use its guitar as defense, but I power-slashed it and cut the instrument in half. With nothing to block my attacks, the monster was easily defeated in a matter of seconds. As the imp fell backwards, I power-slashed it- to finish it in the proper way.

So, with no other demons to draw my attention, I focused on the large Bud ogre. Deciding I should deal with it in the fastest way possible, I flicked my tail, and drew a cherry bomb in front of it. The beast looked surprised, but a moment later it was thrown backward by the force of the explosion. It landed on its belly several feet away, stunned. Its color drained away, and I took my chance to use my brush again, and drew a circle on the monster. Its back opened up, and I saw what lay protected inside: a colorful glowing orb- that held its power. I attacked it with my weapon, and I saw the monster flinch. I whacked it again, and again, and on the fourth hit- it split in two. The Bud ogre groaned, then its body faded away as it turned into a giant lily-like flower. "Wow." I heard Hiraku say, awe in his voice as I picked up the spare yen. "Good job." "Thanks." I replied gratefully.

"Monsters these days walk around in the open, thinking they own the place." Hiraku grumbled, sounding resentful. "Brave warriors are hard to find these days, braggarts are easy, but those who actually can fight -and are willing to go and fight- are rare." He said quietly. "Good to know I picked one of the real ones." He finished, more cheerfully. "And you? Are you a real fighter too?" I asked, as he bounced to the ground, hopping in front. "Me? You bet! Once, a rotten namaghage tried to attack Ponc'tan, and I drove it off while everyone else was hiding inside. Then, there was another time when I was in the city, and someone tried to cheat me on a deal. You know what happened to him afterward?" I shook my head, and he drew his sword. There was a thick patch of interwoven plants in front of us, and I saw a flash of orange and silver as the poncle leaped into the air, doing several cuts. When he landed back on the ground, pieces of branches and vines fell apart in front of us and thumped onto the forest floor. I wagged my tail in applause and Hiraku waved it away. "He's lucky I held back, it's easy really when-" But he broke off, because before us was the source of everyone's apparent departure. The gates to Tsuta ruins.

The great stone doors stood tall and intimidating before us, but a strange evil energy seemed to pulse from it. I walked closer, there was a faint scent near the entrance, like someone had gone in recently, but there was a different smell too; something foul. Hiraku came closer and put one of his small hands on the door. "Looks like someone went in here recently...Wait, where's the key?" I looked around, on the doors was a little teardrop-shaped indent- where the key to the ruins goes-, and an old-looking white shape with a red spiral lay discarded on the ground a few feet away. I grabbed it with my jaws and came closer to the door, and wedged it between the two doors.

With a crack and crumbling noises, the doors slid apart. I felt a blast of evil that made me shiver as it hit me. I took a step forward and I heard a voice behind me. "You really sure you want to go in there?" The poncle asked nervously, and I looked over my shoulder at him. "Not afraid are you?" "No!" He said indignantly. "You can back out now if you want to. I wouldn't blame you." I said calmly. "No way! If you're going, I'm going!" He remarked bravely, then hopped onto my back and made his way up my spine to my head, so he stood on my muzzle. "Let's go!" He said courageously, so I lifted my head, and walked into the darkness.

**(Onigiri Sensei! *Gaasp* Proud sponsor of: yoga. Seriously, I don't know how the guy does that. 0.o Also, *Another gasp* are we actually getting to some adventure here? Yaaay! In the next chapter: someone's weakness is revealed, an ancient evil returns, the thing we all fear...and some monster ass-kicking. :3)**


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